Women’s Final Four 2022 – First look at the four teams headed to Minneapolis

The 2022 women’s Final Four is set. Three No. 1 seeds are making their way to Minneapolis. And after a double-overtime thriller in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the second-seeded UConn Huskies will join the South Carolina Gamecocks, Stanford Cardinal and Louisville Cardinals in the national semifinals.

The Huskies, who knocked off the top-seeded NC State Wolfpack on Monday, punched their ticket to a 14th consecutive Final Four. South Carolina thrashed Creighton on Sunday for a second consecutive trip — dashing the Bluejays’ Cinderella dreams in the process — while defending national champion Stanford squeaked out a win over the Texas Longhorns. Also on Monday, Louisville pulled away down the stretch over the Michigan Wolverines to make its first Final Four since 2018.

Each team brings plenty of talent and intriguing storylines to the table. South Carolina is making its fourth appearance in seven years. As the wire-to-wire AP top-ranked team, the Gamecocks have been the favorite to lift the trophy for much of the season. Louisville is the 1-seed that fashions itself as a plucky underdog. Stanford has been dominant in the tournament and brings a tremendous amount of depth. UConn is the team that has historically entered the postseason among the favorites, but this season has been a different story.

Who will hoist the trophy is anyone’s guess, but the matchups look exquisite.

The Final Four tips on Friday, with South Carolina playing Louisville (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), and Stanford matching up against UConn (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Louisville Cardinals

2021-22 record: 29-4
Final Four appearances: 4
Championships: 0

If a team can possibly spin an underdog…